Building and Construction

There have been a number of suggestions for redeveloping Battersea Power Station over the years, including adding a roller coaster and even turning it into a big green mountain. Earlier this year, however, plans were released for its redevelopment as a new town center. Details of large roof gardens for the new community have now been revealed. Read More

When you're working with a limited amount of space, making the most of a room requires innovative thinking. One room in Paris demonstrates exactly that kind of approach. The former maid's room squeezes all the facilities of a full apartment into just 8 sq m (86 sq ft). Read More

During Abu Dhabi's winter, temperatures drop to around a comfortable 24º C (75º F) in the daytime. In summer, however, they can get close to 50º C (122º F). To combat the sweltering heat, Abu Dhabi's open air market can now close its roof. Read More

Living in an area prone to flooding has historically meant that you need high sockets and deep pockets. Baca Architects, however, has come up with an altogether more ingenious solution. Its "amphibious house," designed to float on floodwater before being gently placed back down, is nearly complete. Read More

Having caused a stir when its trademark 110-tonne (121-ton) heliostat frame was lifted into place, Sydney's One Central Park is back in the news. The striking building has been named the overall winner of the 2014 LEAF Awards. Its heliostat was cited as the main reason for its success. Read More

The urban heat island effect, whereby the high concentration of heat-retaining concrete and bitumen causes metropolitan centers to be significantly warmer than the rural areas surrounding them, is a common problem around the world. The phenomenon is particularly prevalent in Tokyo, Japan, but among the sea of towering structures stands one beacon of hope. The BioSkin that coats the NBF Osaki Building integrates evaporative cooling to keep its surface temperature down and could inspire new solutions to rising city temperatures across the globe. Read More

Shape memory alloys (SMAs), which when heated are able to return to their original shape after being severely deformed, have found their way into everything from spectacle frames to cars. Now researchers at Empa in Switzerland have developed a new type of SMA that could allow the material to find applications in the building and construction industries. Read More

3D printers are great at creating small objects – and some can even be pressed into doing larger things, such as cars – but a 3D printer able to print a full-sized house would have to be, well, bigger than a house. To tackle this problem, a team of researchers from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia in Barcelona removed the size restrictions of a printer altogether by using mobile 3D printer robots to print directly on site. Read More

For its Living Cities competition, Metropolis magazine asked participants for solutions to the housing crisis facing New York. According to the magazine, the city is expected to gain a million more residents by 2040, placing a strain on housing and transport. The winners have now been announced, and include a twisting tower on the High Line and a multi-transport, entertainment and residential hub. Read More

Following the tsunami that hit Japan in March, 2011, designer Chris Robinson was inspired to create an escape pod to ensure he and his family could survive if such a disaster were to occur in his home city of Palo Alto, California. After some two years of painstaking design and construction, his floating off-grid shelter, dubbed Tsunamiball, is nearing completion. Read More